Method for constructing three-dimensional models and device therefor

ABSTRACT

There is provided an apparatus and method of using said apparatus for demonstrating the inter-relationship of a landscape, and the contour lines representing said landscape in two- and three-dimensional representation. In the method of three-dimensional sand or clay model of a landscape is produced, a transparent plate is supported over and free from said model and contour lines connecting points of the same height on the model are drawn upon the said plate using a substantially ablative transfer material, said contour lines are transferred onto transfer receiving material slabs and layers of said material corresponding to said contour lines are produced by cutting along said contour lines. The contour slabs are then stacked upon each other to give a three-dimensional representation of the model. In a further modification, the contour slabs are colored in such a manner that at least adjacent slabs are of a different color. Upon compression of the contour model by a transparent plate, a two-dimensional contour representation is again visible.

United States. Patent [1 1 Knoll [451 v July 3, 1973 METHOD FORCONSTRUCTING THREE-DIMENSIONAL MODELS AND DEVICE THEREFOR [75] Inventor:Ernst Knoll, Vlotho, Weser,

' Germany [73] Assignee: Relief-Technik GmbH, Chur,

Switzerland [22] Filed: Jan. 19, 1972 211 Appl. No.: 218,961

Related 0.8. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No.889,111, Dec. 30,

1969, abandoned.

[52] US. Cl. 35/41, 35/26 [51] Int. Cl G09b 25/06, 60% 29/12 [58] Fieldof Search 35/41, 26

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,351,392 8/1920 Manheimer35/41 2,139,592 2/1940 Perera 35/41 Cooke et al. 35/41 Howard 35/26Primary Examiner-Wm. H. Grieb Attorney-Thomas Cifelli, Jr. et al.

[57] I ABSTRACT There is provided an apparatus and method of using saidapparatus for demonstrating the inter-relationship of a landscape, andthe contour lines representing said landscape in twoandthree-dimensional representation.

In a further modification, the contour slabs are colored in such amanner that at least adjacent slabs are of a different color.

Upon compression of the contour model by a transparent plate, atwo-dimensional contour representation is again visible.

11 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures minimum ma 3; 742 620 satire 0F 3 INVENTORBYQM WM ATTORNEYS PATENTEDJUL3 I915 3.742.620

SHEET 3 OF 3 INVENTOR BYQAQMM ATTORNEYS RELATED APPLICATION Thisapplication is a continuation in part of my copending application Ser.No. 889,111, filed Dec. 30, 1969 now abandoned.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION Map and model construction methods.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART In the teaching of young children it iscommon practice to promote and stimulate the power of observation, theimaginative power, and the accurateness of observation of a child, byhaving the child produce from a molding mass, e.g. molding sand, peatdust, clay or a similar material, an object which the child haspreviously observed, or an object to which the attention of the childhas been especially drawn by a teacher during a walk out-of-doors, or anobject which the child has generated from its own imagination orphantasy.

However, it is desirable to provide a method by which a child at a veryearly age can make itself in an easy way familiar with the forming of athreedimensional model of a two-dimensional representation andvice-versa. Thus, the child may gain insight and understanding of theconcept that a flat map, for example, never represents the true, actualimage of the terrain depicted on the two-dimensional map, and converslythat the representations on a flat map have actual three-dimensionalmeaning.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the foregoing, the method ofthe present invention for making a three-dimensional model from anactual object having portions of differing heights, may include thesteps of supporting a transparent cover plate over and displaced fromthe actual object; producing either singly or all at substantially thesame time, a plurality of transferable contour lines on the transparentplate cover, each of the contour lines overlying portions of said actualobject of substantially the same height, and the transferable contourlines being produced of a material readily transferable to andreceivable by a transfer material; transferring each of the contourlines to a separate piece of transfer material by pressing each piece oftransfer material into engagement with the transparent plate cover tocause at least a visible amount the material of which one of the contourlines is produced to be transferred to and received bytransfer material;removing the portion of each separate piece of transfer material lyingoutside of the contour line transferred thereto; stacking the pieces oftransfer material on top of each other vertically with the separatepieces of transfer'material being arranged vertically in accordance withthe corresponding heights of the actual object represented by therespective contour lines transferred to the pieces of transfer material;and orienting the stacked pieces of transfer material horizontally inaccordance with the horizontal positionment of that portion of theactual object represented by the respective contour lines tranferred tothe stacked pieces of transfer material.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of theapparatus of the present invention including a box for containing amodel of a landscape, a box for constructing a contour model of saidlandscape, and a stand for supporting said boxes side by side.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the top of the apparatus of FIG. 1, the modelof the landscape being left out for clearness sake.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of a portion of the apparatus of FIG.1, namely the box for constructing the contour model.

FIG. 4 is a side elevationa view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 wherein thebox containing the contour model is located on top of the box containingthe landscape model.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to FIG. 1, thereis shown a horizontal rectangular frame 1 consisting of two parts, partla, and part 1b. Part la consists of two parallel fillets 2 and twoL-shaped bars 3, said bars 3 being parallel to each other and connectedat each end th-reof to fillets 2 in order to provide a rectangularframe.

Part 1b consists of a substantially U-shaped frame constructed of 2parallel fillets 4 spaced apart a slightly shorter distance asconnecting means 3, and a transverse fillet 5, said fillet 5 beingconnected at the ends thereof to parallel fillets 4 and at right anglesto said fillets 4. The apparatus further comprises at least fourvertical support posts 6, one each being placed at the juncture offillets 2 and connecting means 3.

There are further provided 2 vertical support means 7. In the apparatusas normally set up, the ends of fillets 4 opposite to the ends connectedby fillets 5, rest upon the horizontal portion of L-shaped connectingmeans 3. The junctures of fillets 4 and fillet 5 rest upon support means7 thus frame portion lb is supported in part by frame portion la but maybe slidably removed therefrom.

The apparatus further comprises a molding box 8. Said molding box 8comprises a base plate 9, which is suitably but not critically, squarein surface area and a circumferential substantially vertical side wall10. In

the preferred modification of this invention side wall 10 and ifdesired, base plate 9, are of substantially rigid substantiallytransparent material. Suitably a plastic such as polyvinyl chloride maybe utilized. However, the material of which box 8 is constructed is notcritical to the present invention.

The apparatus further comprises a similar box 11 of similar dimensions,having a base plate 12 and circumferential side walls 13. In thepreferred modification base plate 12 and side walls 13 are alsotransparent.

It is especially preferred that boxes 8 and 11 are interchangeable interms of dimension and construction.

The apparatus further comprises a rigid, transparent, cover plate 17having dimensions substantially equal to or slightly larger than, butnot less than the surface area defined by circumferential wall 10.

In the operation of the apparatus described herein, molding box 8 isplaced on part In of the frame 1 and box 11 is placed on part lb offrame 1. A model of a landscape, 14, is constructed in molding box 8utilizing clay, sand, plaster, or any readily available moldingmaterial. It is helpful, though not essential, that molding box 8 atthis time, rests upon frame portion la.

Cover plate 17 is then placed over modling box 8. The model 14 thusconstructed is then viewable through cover plate 17. Contour linesjoining points of equal elevation on model 14 are then drawn upon plate17. Any material which is readily transferable from the plate to areceiving surface by contact and the application of very slight pressuremay be utilized for the purpose of drawing contour lines. There may beutilized chalks, slightly adhesive powders, or slow drying inks,dispensable from any suitable means known in the art. If desired, eachcontour line may be drawn in a different color, although using differentcolors has certain advantages, the use of different colors is notcritical to the invention.

For reasons which will appear hereinbelow, the contour lines may bedrawn singly, that is to say a contour line is drawn, transferred to thetransfer receiving material, and then another contour line is drawn andsimilarly transferred, or all contour lines may be drawn at the sametime. Where chalk is utilized, it is generally preferred to draw thecontour lines singly, however, where a material capable readily givingmultiple impressions, such as a slow drying printing ink, or the like,is utilized to draw the contour lines, they may all be drawn at the sametime.

The contour lines are then transferred to a suitable transfer receivingmaterial. The nature of the receiving material is not critical to oneaspect of the present invention. It is preferred however, thatsubstantial thicknesses that is to say, thicknesses of the order of 0.5to centimeters of material suitably about 1 centimeter of material whichcan be readily out be used. Thus included within the scope of utilizablematerials are very soft woods, such as balsa wood, corrugated cardboard,and rigid and compressible foamed materials such as foamed rubbers, orfoamed plastics. The transfer receiving material is utilized in flatslabs of the thickness mentioned hereinabove. When the contour line hasbeen drawn, the transparent plate 17 is placed in contact with thetransfer receiving material or vice versa, slight pressure appliedthereto whereby a certain amount of the transfer material is transferredfrom plate 17 to the transfer receiving material providing an outline ofthe contour line upon the transfer receiving material. The slab uponwhich the contour line is now imprinted is then cut along the contourline and the material lying outside the contour line is discarded. Thisimprinting procedure is repeated until each contour line has beentransferred onto at least one slab of transfer receiving material. Eachslab of receiving material is cut at a predetermined contour line toprovide a slab 18 having the outline of said contour line.

It will be clear that where several contour lines are drawn at the sametime on transfer plate 17, all of the contour lines will be transferredto a given plate of transfer receiving material. A given predeterminedcontour line on that slab of transfer receiving material is selected andthe material lying outside said predetermined contour line is discarded.

It will be clear to those skilled in the art, that where a material suchas chalk or the like is utilized for outlining the contour lines, only afew transfers will be possible before the transfer material no longercauses a visible image upon the transfer receiving material. Where suchmaterial, such as chalk, is utilized, it is generally preferred to drawone contour level line at a time, make the imprint transfer unto onepiece of transfer receiving material, and repeat the process for eachsubsequent contour line.

On the other hand, where a slow drying ink, such as slow drying printingink, is utilized, which has the ability to make the multipleimpressions, it is possible to draw all or substantially all contourlines at the same time and make impressions on several sheets oftransfer receiving material.

It has been found helpful, though it is by no means critical to theinvention, to utilize different colors either in defining adjacent thecontour lines upon plate 17, or for the material of the adjacent contourslabs themselves.

When all contour lines have been drawn, and the contour slabs 18 cut toprovide the required level outlines, box 11 is placed next to box 8 onthe frame 1 and the said contour slabs 18 are assembled in box 11placing the slabs corresponding to the lowest contour lines on thebottom of the box 11 and the higher contour slabs respectively thereuponin the proper horizontal alignment. There is thus provided in box 11 acontour slab representation of the model in box 8, which viewed from theside may demonstrate the elevational effect or viewed from the top maydemonstrate the relationship of the contour lines to the original model14.

In a further modification of the present invention, the transferreceiving material is a readily compressible foamed material, mostpreferably of low density and having a fine pore structure. The model isthen constructed as before.

There is also provided in this modification, a press plate 19constructed of transparent, substantially rigid, but slightly flexiblematerial, having external dimensions of the same order, but slightlyless, then that defined by a plan view of box 11. It has been founddesirable to construct this press plate of a plastic material, such aspolyvinyl chloride, preferably, but not limited to, a thickness of theorder of 0.2 to 1 centimeter suitably about O.5 centimeter. The pressplate 19 is then laid upon the foam slab model in box 11 and pressureapplied thereto. The pressure upon plate 19 causes the foam model to becompressed into substantially though not of course absolutely,two-dimensional representation. Thus when viewed from the side, the foammodel is substantially flat whereas when viewed from the top, throughpress plate 19, particularly if adjacent slabs 18 are of differentcolor, then there appears a clear twodimensional, contourrepresentation, of the adjacent model 14.

The apparatus and method clearly demonstrates the inter-relationship oftwoand three-dimensional representation of a solid topographicallandscape model.

In the further modification of the immediately above describedembodiments of the present invention, a readily compressible foam layer,20, is placed upon base plate 12 of box 11 and the contour slabs laidthereupon. This mode of proceeding has been found to aid thecompressibility of the model as a whole.

Since the material of which model 14 is constructed is cheap anddisposable, and since plate 17 may be cleaned off after the drawing ofeach set of contour lines, the above described method provides theopportunity for many children, in one class, in a short space of time,to view and practice the process of the present producing at least onetransferable contour line on said transparent cover plate, each of saidcontour lines overlying portions of said actual object of substantiallythe same height, and said transferable contour lines being produced of atransfer material readily transferable to and receivable by a transferreceiving material;

transferring each of said contour lines to a plurality of separatepieces of transfer receiving material corresponding to at least a numberof different contour levels by pressing each piece of transfer receivingmaterial into engagement with said transparent plate cover to cause thematerial of which said contour lines is produced to be transferred toand received by said pieces of transfer receiving material;

removing the portion of each separate piece of transfer receivingmaterial lying outside of a different predetermined contour linetransferred thereto until there are produced separate pieces of transferreceiving material each of which has the outer boundary thereof definedby a different predetermined one of said contour lines;

subsequently, stacking said pieces of transfer receiving material on topof each other vertically with the separate pieces of transfer receivingmaterial being arranged vertically from bottom to top, in accordancewith the corresponding increasing heights of the actual objectrepresented by the respective contour lines transferred to the pieces oftransfer receiving material; and

orienting said stacked pieces of transfer receiving materialhorizontally in accordance with the horizontal positionrnent of thatportion of the actual object represented by the respective contour linestransferred to the stacked pieces of transfer receiving material. 2. Amethod of claim 1 which comprises producing a plurality of contour linesof said transparent cover plate prior to transferring said transfermaterial onto a plurality of pieces of transfer receiving material.

3. A method of claim 1 comprising producing only i one contour line atone time.

4. A method of claim 1 comprising utilizing transfer material having apredetermined color to produce a given contour line and utilizing atransfer material having a different predetermined color to produce thecontour line adjacent thereto.

5. A method according to claim 1 comprising utilizing transfer receivingmaterial having a predetermined color to produce a given contour leveland utilizing a transfer receiving material having a differentpredetermined color to produce the contour level adjacent thereto.

6. A method according to claim 1 comprising utilizing a compressibletransfer receiving material.

7. A method according to claim 6 comprising utilizing transfer receivingmaterial constructed of fine pore, low density, foam material.

8. A method according to claim 1 comprising utilizing transfer materialselected from a material capable of producing multiple impressions.

the lowest contour level.

1. Method of preparing a three-dimensional model from an actual objecthaving portions of differing heights, comprising the steps of:supporting a transparent cover plate over and displaced vertically fromsaid actual object; producing at least one transferable contour line onsaid transparent cover plate, each of said contour lines overlyingportions of said actual object of substantially the same height, andsaid transferable contour lines being produced of a transfer materialreadily transferable to and receivable by a transfer receiving material;transferring each of said contour lines to a plurality of separatepieces of transfer receiving material corresponding to at least a numberof different contour levels by pressing each piece of transfer receivingmaterial into engagement with said transparent plate cover to cause thematerial of which said contour lines is produced to be transferred toand received by said pieces of transfer receiving material; removing theportion of Each separate piece of transfer receiving material lyingoutside of a different predetermined contour line transferred theretountil there are produced separate pieces of transfer receiving materialeach of which has the outer boundary thereof defined by a differentpredetermined one of said contour lines; subsequently, stacking saidpieces of transfer receiving material on top of each other verticallywith the separate pieces of transfer receiving material being arrangedvertically from bottom to top, in accordance with the correspondingincreasing heights of the actual object represented by the respectivecontour lines transferred to the pieces of transfer receiving material;and orienting said stacked pieces of transfer receiving materialhorizontally in accordance with the horizontal positionment of thatportion of the actual object represented by the respective contour linestransferred to the stacked pieces of transfer receiving material.
 2. Amethod of claim 1 which comprises producing a plurality of contour linesof said transparent cover plate prior to transferring said transfermaterial onto a plurality of pieces of transfer receiving material.
 3. Amethod of claim 1 comprising producing only one contour line at onetime.
 4. A method of claim 1 comprising utilizing transfer materialhaving a predetermined color to produce a given contour line andutilizing a transfer material having a different predetermined color toproduce the contour line adjacent thereto.
 5. A method according toclaim 1 comprising utilizing transfer receiving material having apredetermined color to produce a given contour level and utilizing atransfer receiving material having a different predetermined color toproduce the contour level adjacent thereto.
 6. A method according toclaim 1 comprising utilizing a compressible transfer receiving material.7. A method according to claim 6 comprising utilizing transfer receivingmaterial constructed of fine pore, low density, foam material.
 8. Amethod according to claim 1 comprising utilizing transfer materialselected from a material capable of producing multiple impressions.
 9. Amethod according to claim 8 comprising utilizing a slow drying ink asthe transfer material.
 10. A method according to claim 1 comprisingutilizing chalk as the transfer material.
 11. A method according toclaim 1 additionally comprising the step of placing a compressible layerbelow the slab of transfer receiving material corresponding to thelowest contour level.